For the first time at the worst time Michael Crabtree cannot demonstrate the talent that arguably makes him the most dynamic offensive player available in this weekend's NFL draft. The winner of the Biletnikoff Award the last two seasons as the nation's top collegiate wide receiver, the playmaker who erupted for 231 catches for 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns in 25 games in Texas Tech's spread offense finally has been stopped.

Not even DNA washes away the lasting stigma that shadows once-convicted sex offenders who are cleared by genetic testing, and the criminal justice system that wrongly jailed them offers little help. Johnny Briscoe's plight is part of a silent struggle for a rising number of exonerees. After high-profile releases from prison, they often fend for themselves.

Hurricane Ike was about as mighty and destructive as they come, but it couldn't break the bond between Nora Smallwood and her two dogs. She'd just as soon drown than abandon them to Mother Nature's fury.